


The Inmate

by good_mythical_miles



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: M/M, Prison, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-27 02:24:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5030023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/good_mythical_miles/pseuds/good_mythical_miles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhett and Link drifted apart during college. Rhett became a Correctional Officer. Link fell in with the wrong crowd.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Inmate

**Author's Note:**

> I know absolutely nothing about prison outside of watching Orange is the New Black and hearing stories from a newer member of the family, so this is probably not accurate in the slightest.

“Hey, Greg,” Rhett mumbled upon entering the prison where he was currently employed. The man nodded in acknowledgement. Rhett passed him and began preparing himself for his duties for the day.

He really enjoyed his job. He got to meet a lot of really interesting people, learn their histories, and see some youngsters straighten out, but a lot of the time, the job wore him out. At that particular moment, for example, he wanted to be nowhere else but his warm bed. He saw a list of new inmates on the wall for the CO’s to take note of. He read through them silently, only half paying attention, until he got to one particular name: Charles Neal. It couldn’t be his Charles Neal, could it? Link? “No way,” he whispered so only he could hear. It couldn’t be. His Charles Neal would never end up somewhere like this…

Once he was done getting his things, he began heading down the hall towards the bunks for count. It was his job that morning to make sure all the inmates were where they were meant to be. He sighed before he began making his way across the room. Suddenly, he spotted him. He spotted his Charles Neal. “He looks like a lost puppy,” Rhett thought to himself. As he got closer, Link noticed who was slowly approaching. His eyes grew wide, and he called, “Rhett!”

“It’s McLaughlin, inmate,” Rhett barked, although it practically broke his heart to do so. Link’s face dropped. The poor man was probably scared shitless, and his childhood best friend just called him “inmate.”

When Rhett was standing next to Link’s bunk, the man whispered, “Rhett… Rhett, it’s me. It’s Link.” As much as it hurt him, Rhett knew it was his job to ignore the man. How long he could keep up this façade, however, would remain to be seen.

Later that day, Rhett was wandering the grounds, making sure everything was running smoothly. He saw Link sitting by himself against the outside wall of the main building. Looking around, he decided to approach his blood brother—if he could still call him that.

“Hey,” he mumbled, once he was directly in front of the man.

Link looked up slowly, his eyes scanning the giant figure in front of him. “Rhett—I mean, McLaughlin… I… What’s happening?”

“Why don’t you tell me that?”

Link looked down at his feet. “I fucked up.”

“I can see that. What’d you do?”

“Drugs.”

“Shit, man. You?”

“Yeah. This friend of mine said he’d pay me to get some speed for him.”

“And you got caught,” Rhett finished.

Link nodded. “I’ve never done any myself, though.”

“Well, at least you can say that…”

“You’ll help me out in here, right?” His voice cracked with the last word.

“I should go. I’ve been standing here for too long.”

“But—“

“We’ll talk later.” He turned and walked away from the distressed man without looking back once.

For the rest of the day, he avoided Link at all costs. He couldn’t handle seeing him in the boring tan prison garb. This was especially true because, during their time as roommates in college, he was used to his friend wearing brightly colored jackets and goofy t-shirts every day. This was just too much for him to deal with on an already rough day.

He was off duty the next morning but was scheduled to come in for the late afternoon and night shifts. As he walked into the cafeteria, he noticed Link, once again, sitting by himself. There was no way this man would be able to survive a place like this on his own. If only it was acceptable for CO’s to have a friendly relationship with an inmate… But that was inappropriate, and Rhett understood why. He stood in the corner with his arms crossed, pretending to keep an eye on all of the inmates, when really, he was only watching Link. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he yelled, “Neal! Get over here.”

Link looked up, startled. When he realized who had called his name, he stood and walked over to his friend cautiously. “What is it?” Just as earlier, the man’s voice cracked. Hopefully he’d get used to the prison environment soon…

“You really need to get to know some of the other guys here, or you’ll go insane,” Rhett whispered. “Surprisingly, there are a lot of nice people here.”

“I’d really rather just do my time and not have to think about any of these people when I’m gone.”

“I know, man, but…” Rhett lowered his voice. “I hate seeing you like this.” Link looked up, but before he could say anything, Rhett pointed back to where Link was sitting. “Somebody’s trying to steal your food.”

When Rhett was wandering the prison later, he spotted Link in his bunk, curled up in his bed with his blanket wrapped tightly around him. “Careful Neal,” Rhett said, leaning on the wall. “You might suffocate in there.” Link didn’t answer. “Li—uh…Neal?” Still no answer. Rhett looked around to make sure nobody was paying much attention. When he decided it was safe, he sat on the bed next to his fragile friend. “Are you okay under there?”

“I miss Christy.”

“Christy?”

“My wife.”

“Woah. That girl you were dating in college? You’re still together?”

“I miss her. She’s pregnant, Rhett.”

“That’s… That’s rough… How long are you going to be in here?”

“I’ll be out when she’s 8 months along.”

“You’ll be out to see your baby being born, man.”

“But I won’t be there for her through everything,” Link choked, trying to hold back loud sobs.

“Link, quiet down, man. I shouldn’t be sitting here. I don’t want anybody seeing us. And you don’t want all the other dudes seeing you as weak.” Before he even blinked, Link’s soft hand was wrapped around his. He had never seen his friend like this. Rhett snatched his hand out of the other man’s grip before standing quickly and saying, louder than necessary, “Get yourself together, Neal!” He turned and left quickly, missing the crushed look on Link’s face.

Over the next few weeks, Rhett noticed that Link was starting to become close with his bunkmate. The man was older than most other people in the facility, was probably the calmest person there, and was very kind. This made Rhett feel extremely relieved. Link finally had a buddy. Due to this fact, he was able to keep a safe distance from the man, watching him from afar just like he did with the other inmates. He still had to act harsh with him, which clearly hurt the man, but it was his job.

One particular morning, one of Rhett’s coworkers told him there was an issue in one of the bathrooms. Rhett rolled his eyes, not looking forward to seeing whatever the hell was happening. It could be anything, really. When he walked into the tiled room, many of the inmates quickly filed out, as usual. One inmate in particular, Jack, stopped in front of Rhett. “Hey, McLaughlin. Neal’s still having a tough time.”

Rhett nodded and thanked the man. Jack was a really good guy—he looked out for all of the other men in the prison. After checking most of the stalls and showers, he finally found Link curled up on the floor of the last shower, completely nude. “Dammit, Neal. Stand up!” Rhett yelled, although his mind was screaming at him to kneel down and help the man. It took all of his strength, but Link managed to stand, trembling. Rhett turned to survey the area, and noticing that everyone had evacuated, he let his guard down. He grabbed a towel and threw it at Link, who immediately wrapped it around his waist. “What the fuck are you doing!?”

“I can’t be here, Rhett.”

“McLaughlin,” Rhett corrected.

“I mean it.”

“Then you shouldn’t have—” Without warning, Link snapped. He swung a fist towards Rhett’s head, but he managed to dodge the blow, grabbing the other man’s arm and twisting him around, slamming him against the wall of the shower. “What the fuck are you doing, man!?” Rhett bellowed.

“I’m sorry, Rhett. I’m so sorry. I…”

“Why the fuck would you punch one of the CO’s?”

“I… Please let go, Rhett. I’m sorry.”

Thinking for a moment, Rhett decided that it was alright. Link turned to face his friend. “Seriously, dude. What the fuck are you thinking?” A small smile began to form on the shorter man’s face. Rhett raised a quizzical eyebrow, studying his friend’s form from head to toe. He had lost a lot of weight during his stay.

“Well, right now I’m thinking that I liked you slamming me up against that wall.”

Rhett took a step backward. “What?”

“I’ve been extremely lonely the last couple of weeks. I’m losing my mind, man. I’m craving…intimacy…” Link appeared to fold into himself, clearly humiliated over what he had just confessed.

“Quit it, Neal. Get back to your bunk, before I have to—” Before Rhett finished his sentence, he noticed a slight bulge had formed underneath the towel around Link’s waist.

“Call me Neal again,” Link muttered, a sly smile spreading across his face.

Rhett’s eyes widened. What the fuck was happening…? “Link, this isn’t you, man. You’re losing it in here. Go take a nap or something.”

Link’s head tilted to the side. “Just once, Rhett. Please? I really am losing it. I’m so horny, and it’s not like I can—“

“What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing?”

“Rhett, I’m serious. Even though we haven’t talked in ages, I know I can trust you with anything. I’ve always been able to. I really need this one favor.”

“Do you really think I’m going to fuck you in here!?”

“Would you be willing to do it somewhere else?”

Without saying another word, Rhett spun around and practically ran from the bathroom. He saw the inmate Jack again, standing in the hall. “Is everything taken care of in there? I really didn’t want to walk back in, even though I really need to take a leak,” he chuckled.

“Uh… Yeah. All good.” Rhett was worried that Jack had heard the last half of the conversation.

“Cool. Sooo… What do you think about that Neal guy?” Rhett asked carefully.

“Neal? I feel terrible for the dude. He really shouldn’t be in here. Wish I could help him out somehow. He’s too distant, though.”

“Yeah,” Rhett nodded, “exactly.”

“See you around?”

“Yep.” They went their separate ways.

The next day, when Rhett was doing his rounds, he walked outside to survey the lawn where a lot of people were hanging out and chatting. He turned a corner, and saw a mass on the ground. He ran over and as he approached, noticed it was Link. He grabbed the man by the shoulders and hoisted him up onto his feet. There were tears streaming down his face. “What are you doing!?”

“I don’t know,” Link squeaked.

“I’m serious, Link. If some of the hardcore guys see you like this, they’re gonna…do things…”

“I was thinking about you.”

Rhett let go of the man. “Me?”

“Yeah. I need you, Rhett.”

“Link, you need to pull yourself together.”

“I need help.”

“I can’t be the one to help you.”

“What happened to us being blood brothers?”

“You fucked that up.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“But you still did.” The two men stood in silence, not breaking eye contact. Link’s eyes began to well up with tears. Rhett reached out and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “There’s a shed over there. I’ve got a key. You still want to—“

“Wait. Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I’ve seen what happens in here. Everyone starts to feel like you are at one point or another. I’d rather us do it this way instead of you getting caught up in some fucked up love triangle.”

“Rhett, I don’t know what to say…”

“It could get me arrested, but… I care about you, and I can’t see you in so much pain.”

“Oh… Okay… I changed my mind.”

“Link, I can see you crumbling. You need some love.” The shorter man stepped forward to hug his friend, but Rhett stepped back. “I can’t risk anybody seeing us being friendly with each other.”

“So, later?”

“Later.” Rhett nodded in agreement. “See you later, buddy. Stay safe.”

“Okay.”

The next day, he spotted Link sitting against the wall of the shed he had mentioned before. Rhett’s heart skipped a beat; he felt extremely conflicted. He cared enough about Link that he’d do anything for him—even get him off—but would the consequences outweigh the benefits? Without a word, Rhett walked past Link and into the shed, the other man following closely behind. “Before we do anything,” Rhett warned, “we need to get a couple things straight.”

“What is it?” Link was obviously extremely nervous. He was blushing, fidgeting, and not making eye contact with Rhett.

“No noises. We have to be quick.”

“Got it.”

“I mean it, Link.”

“Rhett, you’re risking everything by doing this for me. I’m not going to do anything that will compromise your…everything.”

“Well, by just standing here you’re doing that. But… I need to do this for you. Since the moment I saw you in that bunk, my heart sank. If this is the one thing I can do to make this easier for you, I’m going to do it.”

“Thanks, Rhett,” Link muttered shifting his weight.

Remembering what Link’s reaction was when he slammed him against the shower wall, Rhett said harshly, “Turn around, Neal!”

“Wait, Rhett… What?”

“Are you defying an officer!?”

Rhett pulled out a pair of handcuffs and smiled. Catching on, Link dramatically turned around. Rhett grabbed his friend’s wrists and handcuffed him to a metal pole in the ground so he was unable to move away. “What are you doing?” Link asked, both concerned and excited.

Rhett didn’t answer him, but instead got down on his knees and yanked the loose, tan pants down from Link’s waist. He was already extremely turned on. “You sure about this?”

Link nodded vigorously. “Please.”

Rhett proceeded to pull the man’s underwear down as well. He had never done something like this before, but didn’t think it could be too difficult. Link was already hard, so he didn’t have to worry about that… To avoid any awkwardness, he had to think fast. He spat into his hand to wet it, before grasping Link’s cock. The handcuffed man made a soft whimpering sound. Rhett continued to stroke the man slowly, and soon, Link was fidgeting, his hips writhing in pleasure. Deciding to take it up a notch, Rhett licked his lips and drew his mouth closer. He dragged his tongue along the man’s shaft before entirely taking him in. Link gasped. Rhett closed his eyes and focused not on what the possible repercussions of this could be, but instead, focused on the soft sounds emanating from Link’s throat. His head still bobbing, he ran his hands gently up and down the sides of Link’s thighs.

He could tell the man was getting extremely close to the edge, when suddenly, he heard a noise outside. In fright, he stood suddenly. Still handcuffed to the pole, Link’s eyes were closed and he was panting. “Rhett,” he mumbled, “come back. Please.”

Waiting until he decided the coast was clear, he returned to his previous position. Soon after, Link balled his hands into fists, and was clearly trying not to make any noise. Worried that he might choke if he allowed Link to come in his mouth, he went back to just using his hand. Link didn’t seem to mind, as his breaths became more and more deep and erratic. Out of nowhere, Link let loose a gutteral moan, and he came onto Rhett’s beard. “Fuck,” Rhett groaned, standing up.

Link was panting, his legs trembling violently. “Rhett… I…”

“Link, dude. You got your fucking come in my beard.”

“Oh, shit…”

Rhett unlocked the handcuffs and placed them back in their proper place on his person. He looked around the shed, searching for something that would allow him to clean himself up. He heard Link dressing himself when he finally came across some paper towels. Relieved, Rhett did his best to clean off his beard. Right when he turned around, Link’s entire body was against his, his arms wrapped tightly around his torso. “Thank you, Rhett. Thank you so much.”

“Link, we should get out of here,” he sighed.

“I think that remembering this will help me get through some rough shit in here.”

“Well, if it gets too rough, we may have to risk this again.”

Without waiting for a response from his friend, he exited the shed. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Jack sitting on the grass nearby. Could that noise have been the man trying to see what was going on? “Hey, McLaughlin,” he said with a smirk. “You and Neal have fun in there?”

“Oh, fuck…”

“Hey, it’s cool, man. I’m no snitch.”

Rhett sighed. “Look, it’s not—”

“Chill out.” Jack stood. “Link told me about you at lunch yesterday. Blood brothers, huh? Lookin’ out for your weak-ass little buddy in prison. Good job, Officer.” The man winked before turning and running off to meet up with some of his friends.

Rhett spotted Link slowly meandering across the field. “Neal!” he shouted. Link stopped in his tracks. “Hussle inside for dinner!” 

What had started out as a heartbreaking, required display of dominance on Rhett’s part soon turned into something completely different for Link. Every time Rhett was especially harsh with him, his mind immediately snapped back to that day in the shed. It had helped Link more than Rhett would ever know.


End file.
